Judge Rules Trump’s Pardons Don’t Apply to Pipe Bomb Suspect

A judge appointed by former President Joe Biden has determined that President Donald Trump’s pardons for individuals charged with the unlawful entry into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, are not applicable to a man from Virginia who is accused of planting a pipe bomb near the headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

In a ruling on Monday, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali denied a motion to dismiss the charges against Brian J. Cole Jr. He stated that Trump’s pardons, granted to over 1,500 individuals on the first day of his second term, specifically pertained to the protestors at the Capitol and did not extend to Cole.

The judge noted that Cole had neither been charged nor convicted when the pardons were issued and that he was not arrested until nearly a year later.

Cole was taken into custody in early December following a lengthy investigation into the pipe bombs found near the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Democratic National Committee (DNC) buildings. The FBI released surveillance footage that showed him placing a backpack with an explosive device next to a bench outside the DNC headquarters around 7:40 p.m. on January 5, 2021, followed by hiding a second device in bushes near the RNC about 20 minutes later.

According to reports, the explosives were made from a steel pipe, homemade black powder, kitchen timers, and hobby fuses commonly used in fireworks.

Cole’s legal team contended that he is entitled to a pardon because his actions were closely linked to the events that occurred the next day at the Capitol. They argued that he had traveled to Washington, D.C., primarily to participate in a protest regarding the 2020 election results.

Defense attorneys asserted, “By the government’s own telling, this is exactly the kind of case that President Trump’s January 20, 2025 Presidential Pardon was invoked to reach.”